Swans Their Biology And Natural History

The seven species of swans are an easily and universally recognized group of waterfowl, which have historically played important roles in the folklore, myths and legends in many cultures. Among the largest of all flying birds, they have been used as symbo

Among birds, swans are relatively long-lived species and are also among the most strongly monogamous, having prolonged pair and family bonds that strongly influence their reproductive and general social behavior, which, in combination with their beauty and elegance, contribute to the overall high degree of worldwide human interest in them. This volume of more than 59,000 words describes the distributions, ecology, social behavior, and breeding biologies of the four species of swans that breed or have historically bred in North America, including the native trumpeter and tundra swans, the introduced mute swan, and the marginally occurring whooper swan. Also included are 5 distribution maps, 15 drawings, 27 photographs by the author, and a reference section of nearly 1,000 literature citations.

This book surveys Wyoming's mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian faunas. In addition to introducing the state's geography, geology, climate, and major ecosystems, it provides 65 biological profiles of 72 mammal species, 195 profiles of 196 birds, 9 profiles of 12 reptiles, and 6 profiles of 9 amphibians. There are also species lists of Wyoming's 117 mammals, 445 birds, 22 reptiles, and 12 amphibians. Also included are descriptions of nearly 50 national and state properties, including parks, forests, preserves, and other public-access natural areas in Wyoming. The book includes a text of more than 150,000 words, nearly 700 references, a glossary of 115 biological terms, nearly 50 maps and line drawings by the author, and 33 color photographs by Thomas D. Mangelsen.

Professional photographer Malcolm Schuyl has studied the swan for decades - observing, researching and photographing it throughout its life-cycle. His lively and inspirational book covers the swan in all its stages.

This volume, the fourth in a series of books that collectively update and expand P.A. Johnsgard's 1975 The Waterfowl of North America, summarizes research findings on this economically and ecologically important group of waterfowl. The volume includes the mostly tropical perching duck tribe Cairinini, of which two species, the muscovy duck and the wood duck, are representatives. Both species are adapted for foraging on the water surface, mostly on plant materials, but typically perch in trees and nest in elevated tree cavities or other elevated recesses. This volume also includes the dabbling, or surface-feeding, duck tribe Anatini, a large assemblage of duck species that mainly forage on the water surface but nest on the ground, or only very rarely in elevated locations. Of this tribe, 12 species that regularly breed in North America are included, among them such familiar species as mallards, wigeons, pintails, and teal. Descriptive accounts of the distributions, populations, ecologies, social-sexual behaviors, and breeding biology of all these species are provided, together with distribution maps. Five additional Eurasian and West Indian species have been reported several times in North America; these have been included with more abbreviated accounts, but all 17 species are illustrated by drawings, photographs, or both. The text includes about 84,000 words and contains more than 1,000 references. There are also 12 distribution maps, 21 drawings, 28 photographic plates, and 58 anatomical or behavioral sketches.

Although the 12 species representing three waterfowl tribes described in this volume are not closely related, they fortuitously provide an instructive example of adaptive evolutionary radiation within the much larger waterfowl lineage (the family Anatidae), especially as to their divergent morphologies, life histories, and social behaviors. The whistling-ducks (Dendrocygna), with three known North American species, are notable for their permanent pair-bonds, extended biparental family care, and strong social cohesion. In contrast, males of the five typical pochards of North American diving ducks (Aythya) establish monogamous pair-bonds that are maintained only long enough to assure that the female's eggs are fertilized. The endpoint of this behavioral gradient, promiscuity or polygyny, exists among at least some of the typical stifftails (Oxyura). Such diverse reproductive strategies have exerted powerful evolutionary influences on interspecies variations in sexual dimorphism, sexual behavior, anatomy, ecology, and other traits. This volume includes more than 63,000 words, plus some 200 maps, photos, drawings, and sketches, and nearly 650 literature citations. It is the last of five volumes that describe all 55 waterfowl species that have been historically documented in North America; collectively, the volumes total over 300,000 words, with nearly 3,000 literature citations, and more than 600 maps, photos, drawings, and sketches.

Fully illustrated with swans of legend, art, nature and the imagination, Swans of the World is a treasury and a treasure as well.